DIRECTIONS
Trim fat from chops and let stand at room temperature. In a large cold skillet, place apples, water, and 1 ounce of the brandy. Sprinkle with mace, nutmeg, and salt and pepper, then stir in the honey. Cover pan and place over low heat. Simmer for 15 minutes. Uncover, push apple mixture to outer edges of pan, and add pork chops. Cook chops over medium heat for 15 minutes, then turn and cook for another 15 minutes. If not brown, increase heat and cook a few minutes longer. Remove browned chops to hot platter. Add second ounce of brandy to sauce, stir well, and pour over chops.

DIRECTIONS
Mix the ingredients together in a glass jar or bowl. Cover and shake to mix. Store in a cool place until ready to use.
To use: Rub the mixture into the meat, and allow to marinate in the refrigerator. Pat meat dry before grilling.

DIRECTIONS
Mix the ingredients together in a glass jar or bowl. Cover and shake to mix. Refrigerate until ready to use.
To use: Rub the mixture into the meat, and allow to marinate in the refrigerator. Pat meat dry before grilling.

o.k. enough of lobel's. here is their website again which has many more recipes plus cooking techniques. you can even order meats from them, but they are expensive since they have u.s. prime cuts.

Even when all we knew about fat was that it was fattening, Americans struggled to imitate the inimitable: the taste of fried food. The food technologists have given us baked tortilla chips, baked potato chips, and fast-food fries that are, at least, cooked in unsaturated vegetable oil instead of suet, lard or hydrogenated shortening, but I've always credited my Great-Aunt Pauline from Baltimore with the first attempts at "oven-fried" chicken. At one time, I would have sworn she was the inspiration for Shake 'N Bake.

Then I started to do some research. Of course, my aunt, whose grandchildren weren't born until the 1950s, was inspired at that time by magazine stories galore about how to "fry" chicken in the oven. There was the buttermilk method, the sour cream method, the Rice Krispie and Corn Flake crumb versions (obviously opportunistic recipes created by Kellogg), and a slew of recipes using breadcrumbs (homemade and store-bought) with various flavorings. Almost always, however, as in Aunt Pauline's recipe, fat was poured over the coated chicken pieces before they were put in the oven. Naturally, given that and the fact that the fatty chicken skin was left on the meat, these recipes didn't save as much fat as they saved the cook the trouble of having to stand by the stove tending fried chicken, then having to clean up the spattery mess.

To this day, recipe developers are still trying to come up with the ideal low-fat "oven-fried" chicken. In "Roasting," by Kathy Gunst (MacMillan), a 3 1/2-pound chicken cut into eight pieces is marinated in 1 1/2 cups of (no fat or low fat) buttermilk for four to 48 hours, then dredged in 3 cups of coarse, fresh breadcrumbs seasoned with salt, pepper, 3 tablespoons of fresh rosemary (1 tablespoon dried) and 1/2 cup chopped fresh chives or parsley. The coated chicken is then baked at 400 degrees for 45 minutes. For a crisper breading, Gunst says to slide the chicken under the broiler for an additional 3 to 5 minutes. And although Gunst doesn't suggest it, for an even lower-fat product, remove the chicken skin before marinating and breading the pieces.

Another method for "oven-fried" chicken is in another book, "Lighter, Quicker, Better" by Richard Sax and Marie Simmons (Morrow). It is called " 'Un-Fried' Fried Chicken" and it's a streamlined version of the old sour cream method. In this case, you drain non-fat yogurt to make a thin yogurt cheese, spread it on 8 skinless chicken pieces, then dredge them in 2 cups of soft breadcrumbs seasoned with 1/4 teaspoon paprika and 1/4 teaspoon cayenne. The chicken parts are then chilled in the refrigerator for 30 minutes -- to set the breading -- drizzled with 3 tablespoons of olive oil and baked in a 400-degree oven for 60 to 70 minutes.

Following is (more or less) my Aunt Pauline's recipe as outlined by Michael Stern, food columnist (with his wife, Jane) for Gourmet magazine, whose mother also made the dish in the '50s. "Of course," writes Stern, "it is no replacement for chicken pan-fried in lard; but it is easy, delicious in its own right, and it is fun."

My Aunt Pauline was kosher, so she didn't use butter with chicken. She either dotted hers with margarine or drizzled it with vegetable oil. Stern contributed this to "365 Ways to Cook Chicken" by Cheryl Sedaker (HarperCollins), which, by the way, has several other baked "fried" chicken recipes.

except for the lobel's recipes, most of the others came from the "food maven", arthur schwartz....the recipes were mostly from the "top 10" requested by his listeners on wor radio in new york.....here's a little bit about him:

Arthur Schwartz, also known as The Schwartz Who Ate New York, was one of the first male newspaper food editors in the country and is now a cookbook author, cooking teacher, and host of "Arthur Schwartz With Food Talk," a daily program heard on WOR radio, New York's number one talk station.

Schwartz's career started 30 years ago as assistant food editor and food feature writer at Long Island's Newsday. Nine years later he created the New York Daily News "Good Living" section and became executive food editor, as well as food and restaurant critic. All four of his cookbooks were nominated for national awards: Cooking In A Small Kitchen (Little Brown, 1978), What To Cook When You Think There's Nothing In The House To Eat (HarperCollins, 1992), Soup Suppers (HarperCollins, 1994) and his latest work, Naples At Table: Cooking In Campania, which was published by HarperCollins in November 1998 and immediately hit the Los Angeles Times Hot List, the nation's only cookbook bestseller list.

here is his website which has about 200 more recipes......i'm off to see if i can find any more good new york recipe sources.....

before i go, here is one last commentary from sir arthur on new york restaurants and the link to the one's he thinks are the best:

New York's Most Useful Restaurants

New York may have more restaurants than any other city in the world. Certainly, the city boasts more different kinds of restaurants than any other place. The actual number is between 12,000 and 13,000, according to the New York City Board of Health, the only government or non-governmental agency that keeps track of it. The interesting thing is that although it seems like a new restaurant opens every day in New York the number has been steady for at least a decade. Of course, that means that every year as many restaurants close as open.

Sheer number is not the attraction here, though. It's the diversity. Every one of the five boroughs that comprise New York City, but particularly Brooklyn and Queens, has ethnic enclaves with their own cuisines and their own restaurants. And for better or for worse, New York is now clearly the food fashion leader of the United States, perhaps the world. It has more than its share of world-class restaurants, restaurateurs, master chefs, restaurant designers, and all kinds of innovative industry upstarts. There is also a middle level of New York restaurants, the unhailed, but substantial neighborhood places, well-worn French bistros, Italian trattorie, and steakhouses that would be top-rank in most other places.

The number and kinds of restaurants in New York City is dizzying. To make some sense and order of it, I've decided to list here only restaurants that I can wholeheartedly recommend, and to list them by categories -- such as location (parts of the city, near places of interest, etc.), according to diners' usual needs (Good for Kids, Good for Teens, Rooms with a View, 50th Anniversary, Private Rooms, etc.), price (under $20 in Greenwich Village, for example), and by dishes (Best Burgers, Pizza Patrol, Great Bouillabaise ... you get it.). There are so many ways to list restaurants, this will be a continuing work. New categories will be added regularly. Stay posted.

here is the food maven's website again if you are ever in new york and want to check out these great restaurants (i'm not going to list them here since the list is updated regularly on the website):

Instructions
Using a wooden spoon, muddle the pineapple chunks with the maraschino liquor in a mixing glass. Add the gin, pineapple juice, and enough ice to fill an old-fashioned glass; shake briefly and vigorously; and pour, unstrained, into the glass. Serve with a stirrer.

here is one from "iron chef" mario batali's restaurant, lupa, located in the big apple. by the way, i hit paydirt and found an awesome website where i am going to post a few of the many recipes listed from new york's top chefs. it is called ny metro.com and it also has arts and entertainment, fashion, guides....the whole works.....so here is the link plus one of the recipes.....

Gnocchi
In a large bowl, combine the ricotta and goat curd; mix well with a rubber spatula. Add the egg, salt, and pepper and fold together. Slowly add the flour and mix the dough until combined, but take care not to overwork it. Refrigerate until the dough has firmed up.

Turn the dough onto a generously floured surface, as it may be a little sticky, and roll into cylinders approximately 3⁄4-inch thick. Place the cylinders on a floured tray and refrigerate for 1 hour. Remove the cylinders from the fridge one at a time, and with a sharp knife cut them into 1⁄2-inch lengths. Flatten each gnocchi gently with the tines of a fork.

Ragù
Heat the oil over medium heat in a thick, heavy-bottomed pan, and add the sausage. Sauté until the sausage is brown on the outside but still pink in the center, then add half the ground fennel and half the red-pepper flakes. When the sausage pieces are just cooked through, remove them from the pan with a slotted spoon. Add the onions, celery, carrots, fennel bulb, and garlic to the pan with the sausage fat and cook until they caramelize. Return the sausage to the pan and stir in the tomatoes. Simmer the ragù for approximately 30 minutes or until all the vegetables and sausage are tender. Check and adjust seasonings to taste, adding salt, pepper, more pepper flakes, and ground fennel. When the mixture has cooled, transfer to a blender. Pulse until just combined—the sauce should not be smooth.

To Serve
Bring 4 quarts water with 2 tablespoons salt to a boil in a large pot. In a sauté pan, gently warm the sausage ragù with the butter. Add water to ragù to thin it if necessary.

Drop the gnocchi into the boiling water a few at a time; stir to keep them from sticking. Cook them for 4 to 5 minutes—they’re done when they have floated on the surface for about a minute. Gently remove the gnocchi with a slotted spoon and immediately add to the sauté pan with the ragù. Toss the gnocchi in the ragù and cook for 30 seconds Add a little pasta water if necessary to thin the sauce. Toss the gnocchi with pecorino and black pepper. Serve immediately.

Cooking Instructions
Season the chicken parts with salt and a generous amount of pepper. Heat the oil in a large skillet, add the chicken in batches, and brown on all sides over high heat. Remove the chicken and set aside. Add the onions to the skillet and cook over medium heat until soft, about 10 minutes. Add spices, honey, and stock, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and return the chicken to the skillet. Cover and simmer for 25 minutes or until the chicken is cooked. Skim the fat from the surface. Add the dates, lemon, and saffron, and cook for a further 5 to 10 minutes. Serve the chicken with some of the dates and sauce.

i'm going to close out this new york city thread by paying a tribute to the revival going on in harlem. all kinds of southern food and soul food restaurants are thriving. way to go harlem. so here is a tribute to soul food (it is good for your soul...... )

here is the website for some awesome soul food recipes (too many to post here)......

here is a sampling of the recipes on this website (they are not afraid to share)........these posted recipes come from all over the nation (not just harlem)......soul food is a national phenomenon and is one of snort's #1 comfort food groups (and apparently that of many others )

Soak beans by preferred method found on this site. Drain beans
and in a four-quart cooking kettle add enough fresh water to
cover beans, then simmer, covered, until beans are tender
(approximately 1 to 1-1/2 hours). Saute green pepper in oil for
5 minutes, then add onions and cook until tender, stirring often.
Add garlic and parsley. In a seaparate skillet, brown meat for
about 15 minutes. Add meat to the onion mixture, stir in chili
powder and cook for 10 minutes. Combine all ingredients
including the spices in the large kettle and simmer covered for
one hour then uncovered for another 30 minutes.

This recipe makes a geneorus amount of chili. It's great for a
party or even for the family since the leftover can be frozen for
future use.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Generously grease and flour the
pan(s).

Place the butter and sugar in the bowl of a mixer fitted with a
paddle and beat until smooth and creamy. Add the eggs, one at a
time, beating well and scraping down the bowl before each
addition. Add 2 cups of the flour and beat well. Scrape down the
sides of the bowl and add the milk and vanilla, continuing to
beat.

Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the baking powder,
salt, and the remaining 2 cups of flour. Beat well.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan(s). If you are using more
than one pan, be sure the batter comes to the halfway point.
Transfer to the oven and bake until the cake pulls away from the
sides of the pan and a tester comes out clean,
about 1 hour for the bundt pan, 50 minutes for the 9 x 5-inch
loaf pan, and 45 minutes for the smaller pans.

Cool for 20 minutes in the pan and then invert on a rack. Cool
to room temperature and cut into 12 to 16 pieces.

Preheat oven to 325. Beat softened cream cheese in large bowl
until creamy. Blend in pourable fruit, vanilla, and salt. Add
eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Pour into
greased 9" springform pan. Bake 50 minutes.

Here's a recipe for cooking COUNTRY STYLE Pork Ribs.
These ribs are a lot meatier than regular baby back ribs...

Boil the ribs in a teaspoon of salted water until tender
Season with meat tenderizer, garlic salt, onion salt and pepper
Place in roasting pan or foiled lined covered pan and ADD sliced
onions.
Bake at 350 degrees for about 1 hour
Brush meat with your favorite bbq sauce and add a 1/4 cup of
water to the pan.
Cover and cook for another 10 minutes.

Deep fry wings until light/light golden brown. Best done on an
outdoor cooker, if you have one. Remove and drain on
papertowels. After all wings are fried, melt about a half
tablespoon of butter in a sauce pan and add about half cup of
Texas Pete hot sauce to the pan and other hot sauces, depending
on how hot you want the wings. The Texas Pete can be used as the
only sauce if you want. If that's too hot, dilute with a little
applecider vinegar. Anyway, put some wings in a large mixing
bowl, cover with sauce, and then put the wings in a single
layer on a cookie sheet. Be sure to put the wings of varying
degree of heat together as someone may get one too hot for them.
Put the cookie sheet in the oven at 350 degrees for about 10
minutes. Essentially, you want to bake the sauce onto the
wings. Then turn the oven to broil for about three minutes and
then enjoy. If you like messy, drippy wings, don't bake them
or broil them. Just serve them right out of the mixing bowl.

Pour the cooked macoroni in a large casserole dish while still
hot. Cut up the margerine over the macoroni. Sprinkle with salt
and stir slightly. Pour the Ragu Cheese sauce over the macaroni
followed by the 3 cups of milk. Blend all ingredients together.
Put in oven preheated to 400 degrees. Cook about 45 minutes.
Enjoy!

In a large pot melt butter and add the garlic powder on a low
heat until the powder is dissolved. Add the Louisiana Hot Sauce
and stir until completely blended. After the sauce is to your
taste add chicken wings to coat each one. Place completed wings
in another container until all wings are completed to keep them
warm and cover with foil. Enjoy!

1. Sprinkle the ribs lightly on both sides with pepper and
garlic powder.

2.Combine the sauce ingredients in a 2-quart saucepan. Bring to
a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Remove from the
heat and set aside. Taste and adjust the seasonings.

3.Prepare a charcoal grill. Soak the hickory chips in water to
cover. When the coals are hot, push them to one side of the
grill. Drain the chips and sprinkle half of them over the coals.

4.Grill the ribs in the center of the cooking rack, turning
occasionally. Sprinkle the remaining chips over the coals after
20 minutes. When the ribs are brown and almost done (around 50
minutes), slather the back side with sauce and turn after 10
minutes. Then slather the front side and cook until tender (about
10 to 15 minutes). Serve with additional sauce on the side.
Serves 6

Note: For the most tender ribs, ask the butcher to remove the
tough membrane from the back side of the meat.

Note: Scotch Bonnet pepper is a very hot pepper native to
Jamaica and the Caribbean islands. Try to find it at your
area's West Indian grocery stores, or use jalapenos as a
substitute. Also known as habinera peppers.

1. Sift the flour and salt into a large bowl. Cut in the
shortening and margarine until crumbly. Add the cold water to
make a stiff dough. Lightly flour a wooden cutting board and
roll out the dough until about 1/8 inch thick. Cut out 8 inch
circles. Cover with wax paper or damp cloth until ready to use.
2. In a heavy skillet, melt the margarine and sauté the onion
and Scotch Bonnet Pepper until they become limp. Add the ground
beef, salt, pepper, curry powder and thyme and mix well. Brown
the meat for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Add the breadcrumbs and stock and combine all the
ingredients well. Cover the skillet and simmer for about
10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. When all the liquids
have been absorbed, the filling is ready. It should be moist but
not watery. Remove the skillet from the stove and preheat oven to
400 degrees F.
4. Uncover the dough circles and place 2 to 3 tablespoons of
filling on half of each. Moisten the edges of the dough with
water and fold the dough circle over the meat filling. Pinch the
edges closed with a fork. Lightly brush the pastry with a mixture
of the egg and water. Bake on a lightly greased baking sheet for
30 to 40 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown.
Yield: 10 patties.

1 In a double boiler over simmering water, combine eggs, milk,
sugar, cornstarch and salt. Stir constantly and cook until
thick, 10 to 15 minutes.
Remove from heat and stir in vanilla and margarine.
2 Place a layer of 16 wafers in a glass serving dish. Top with
half the bananas.
Top with half the pudding. Repeat. Serve immediately or
refrigerate until serving.

Carefully remove the cartilage from the crabmeat, keeping the
pieces as large as possible. Blot crabmeat with paper towels.
In a medium bowl, mix the egg, Worcestershire sauce, Old Bay
& mayonnaise until combined. ( I use a whisk ) Add crabmeat
& crackers & toss lightly but thoroughly. Shape the mixture
into 6 large crab cakes 0r 24 small crab balls. If not cooking
immediately, keep covered in refrigerator. Fry until golden
brown about 2 to 4 minutes per side. Serve with cocktail or
Tartar sauce. Delicious !!!

Here is a recipe that will make you slap yo mama and say yall!!

Pot Roast

Take a roast either whole or cut into chunks and roll in flour
then fry in preheated hot skillet, browning and searing only.

Cut up your potato's and carrots and sear them to a light tan.

Put the above in a pot or slow cooker with cut up onions.

Add flour to the grease in the skillet and stir until it's a
light tan then add watter stiring and pour this into the pot and
add a little water to keep it from being too thick.

Melt margarine in 10-inch round baking dish. Mix flour, sugar
and baking powder. Add milk and mix. Spoon over melted butter
in dish. Heat the peaches with sugar. Pour over dough. Bake
at 350° about 30 minutes until crust is golden brown. Crust
will rise to the top around the edges.

snort lied.....can't leave this thread unfinished without paying tribute to the new york city pizza........here are the top 5 pizza joints in the big apple....at least according to heather (probably a million top 5 lists for this one.... ).

Top 5 New York Restaurants Serving Italian Food & Pizza

From Heather Klein,

New York City is famous for it's Italian population, and possibly even more so for delicious Italian food and pizzas. No trip to New York City would be complete without an Italian dining experience.

1) Lombardi's Coal-Oven Pizza
Amazing pizza from Lombardi's is well worth a special trip downtown. Touted by some to be the best pizza in Manhattan, you'll have to try it to believe it.

2) Grimaldi's Pizzaria
Not only does Grimaldi's offer great coal-oven pizza in a perfect setting complete with red and white checked tableclothes and an Italian soundtrack, , merchants, and supermarkets, but you also get a great view of the new york city skyline (now that's cool).

3) Frank
Frank serves delicious Italian food at surprisingly affordable prices and is a great place to fuel up before an evening of East Village barhopping. As long as a little smoke and a wait won't bother you, it's worth checking out.

4) Le Madri
Le Madri = Le Magnifico; from the decor and the wine to every delectable course, and an attentive staff to cater to your every culinary whim. An ideal restaurant for special occasions, says Judith G. DeCosta.

5) DiFara's Pizzeria
Arguably among the best pizza in New York City, DiFara's in Brooklyn offers both square and traditional pies, in addition to a menu of classic Italian dishes.

and finally, before we close.....a tribute to the new york city street vendors and delis (great foods at a low price):

Eating in New York City

While New York City does have some fabulous gourmet restaurants and top-notch international eateries, this travel guide focuses on how to get the most of your money! You can ensure this while eating out by stopping at some of the numerous street vendors with food carts filled with delicious treats. These are favorites of local New Yorkers and offer a variety of foods at inexpensive pricing, including fresh bagels, hot dogs, sausages, pretzels, falafels, pizza, and hot roasted nuts! You can also stop in at one of the thousands of delicatessens in the city that offer amazing hot food bars with various assortments of food that is weighed by the pound. You decide what and how much you want… enjoy!